Forbidden To Love
by Kaji-chan
Summary: Year 3024. Kagome is a warrior princess of the last remaining Miko city, living only to kill Youkai. Inuyasha is the general of the Youkai army, intent on wiping out the Mikos. To love was forbidden, but breaking the law was far too enticing to put down.
1. Duty

**SERIOUSLY EDITED**

Okay, this is definitely going to be different. It is a strange idea, and I have no idea where I came up with it, but I like the scheme. Instead of doing my usual AU fic, this is going to be WAY out there… Inu/Kag, of course. Well, not necessarily an Inu/Kag romance, but certainly a conflict between them. I _may_ add romance here and there... but I guess the title kind of gives me away.

Disclaimer:

I don't own Inuyasha or the characters in it, but I DO own everything else. Ku ku ku...

"Hime-sama."

The princess's head turned slightly, looking towards the small intercom. The metal device was but a few feet away from where she resided in her chair, but she did not get up, nor did she answer. She closed her eyes irately, turning her head from the box to face her window, her expression a clutter of dull emotions.

"Hime-sama."

She gazed silently out of her window, the vast expanse of glass stretching the entire length of her wall, revealing a glimmer of ocean life before her. The soft lights of the inner city reef reflected a soft glow through the waters, lying lightly on her features.

"Hime-sama! Are you there?"

Her hands slammed down against the edge of her chair, stiffly standing and strutting over towards the intercom in swift, rigid strides. Pursing her lips for the interruption, she flicked a finger out, pressing the voice button on the tela-communication device. "Yes?" she answered, her smooth, well-practiced tone covering the irritation threatening to burst forth from her voice.

"Hime-sama, our radars have confirmed that a small fleet is approaching the city, just as you had predicted. They appear to not be heavily armed, and seem to only be scouting the area."

The princess was silent. Of course they were approaching the city. Of course they were only scouting the area. Of course it was what she had predicted. That was her job, was it not; to to use her gift of foresight, to protect her people, to uphold the burden of such ridiculous prophecies?

She opened her eyes slowly, watching a school of fish swim by her line of vision, their sliver skin catching a stray ray of florescent light from her room and glittering happily. Her lips turned upwards in a small smile.

"Hime-sama?"

"Yes, continue," she replied, her tone of voice even, sweet, and flawless. It had to be.

"What shall we do?"

She paused, her attention distracted by a soft flutter outside her window. She turned, her long gown swishing lightly against the carpet of her room, her grey-blue eyes softening at the stunning colors of the schools of fish fluttering in the waters on the other side of the circular glass. So beautiful, so elegant… so simple.

"Just as I had planned," she replied, her eyes falling back to focus on the iridescent that was freely glistening outside of her room.

"Shall we take any hostages?"

She closed her eyes, pushing back the weakness in them as she drew in a breath, a vision fleetingly passing by her consciousness.

_She stood before the battlefeild, her hands trembling as the clenched the cold hilt of a dagger. They were everywhere. Slumped against abandoned weapons, sprawled upon the ground, hanging from the walls... and blood. It was everywhere. She felt a bile rise in her throat, her eyes trained on the blood on her hands, coated thickly on her blade._

_She trembled, raising her eyes from her quivering blade to the smirks of her enemy. A red fog began to cloud her vision as she clenched her fist around the dagger, her trembling now vision tremors as the ground shook below her. They were all dead... They killed them._

_They killed them..._

Her eyes opened slowly, narrowed, fist clenching as her mind's eye was flooded with the death of her people. Her eyes opened, narrowed and strangely cold as she stared into the dark depths of the ocean. "No." Her eyebrows drew down, curling her expression into bitter animosity. "The same as before. We will kill them all."

She paused thoughtfully, her lips pursed. "Actually..." she said, "I will accompany the attack force personally."

"But, Hime-sama--"

Kagome's finger flicked up and cut the connection before the officer at the other end had a chance to complete his sentence. But as soon as it had overtaken her, the hatred of her grey eyes began to fade, and she felt a cool sensation wash over her as she revisited her previous neutrality.

Was this a blessing? To be able to change her emotions with the slightest provocation? Or perhaps it was, rather, a curse. The curse of her existence. An ironic smile tilted against the soft frown on her lips.

She stood there, her eyes still trained on the fish outside of her window, watching with a slight glimmer of playfulness in her eyes until they swam from view. Her eyes fell sad as she watched their colors blend in with the murky depths of the ocean, her joy fading with their glimmering scales.

Sighing softly, she turned from the glass and walked towards her wardrobe. Was this how she would spend the rest of her life? Locked here, in her room?

Her eyes narrowed. No. This was why she was their princess. She could change it. Her children would not have to be caged as she was, not have to fear attacks on the city day by day, would not have to see their friends and relatives one day and hear of their death or capture the next. She would going to change it.

Kagome's slender fingers brushed over the familiar surface of the wardrobe's engraved handles, grasping them firmly and sliding open the double doors to reveal her armor.

The princess flipped her long, dark hair up in a bun and secured it with a few pieces of long, sharp coral while humming a forlorn tune of the past. The young woman grabbed her amour and pulled it over her almost bare chest, smoothing down the thin, transparent shirt underneath. Her nimble fingers slid over the smooth protection of the silver material, and she snapped the armor shell firmly into place over her breasts.

Kagome drifted over to the pool in the center of the garden and sat down on the edge of her salt-water pond, frowning at her image in the watery mirror. Her amour didn't really protect that much of her bare skin, but was designed that way strictly for better maneuverability. The only thing covering her arms and belly was the tight, silvery shirt that she wore underneath it, slippery and smooth but tough as any armor. She snapped the clasp of her belt, which held a small dagger securely in a small scabbard around her waist. Satisfied with the position of her small blade, she sat down on the edge of the pool.

Her blue-grey eyes stared down at her reflection in the water, frowning softly. How many more years would this battle go on? Ten? One Hundred? One Thousand? It could even end tomorrow, as it was impossible to tell. A strand of obsidian hair slipped forward from her bun, falling into her line of sight. Kagome sighed and tucked it back behind her ear, looking down into the pond mournfully.

Was this her role in life? To follow in the footsteps of her ancestors? To battle? It couldn't be. She wouldn't let it be.

She bit her lip. She always felt so... unlike herself. As if she was playing the role of someone that she was not. She gazed down at her hands, her eyes soft and thoughtful. Who was she? She did not even remember any of her life before her sixteenth year. After two years, the amnesia had yet to wear away, gripping strongly onto her childhood.

She always felt a hollowness about her, but never as strongly as when she was in battle. If she ever felt more secluded and absent of emotions, it was when her fingers grasped the cold metal of a sword's hilt, or the rough texture of a staff.

She was a master of every weapon. It was all she remembered of herself; the gentle swish of an arrow's tail, the twang of a released bow, and the smooth stroke of a sword against flesh.

Yet it drained her. Every time she grasped the rush of adrenaline, her heart clenched. She could not bear death, though she dealt its evil upon every summon. If it would be in her power to win this war without fighting, she may be able to touch the fading gentleness harbored in her soul.

Maybe she was just getting weaker. Perhaps she was loosing her will, her fortitude. Such was common in these times. But not for her. She was not allowed to become weakened by the merciful or tender feelings that was so easily her nature.

With another sigh, she flicked the water with her finger, watching the wrinkles of water ripple outwards from the disturbance she had created. Her reflection wavered. Why was it, though she could see glimpses of the future, that she could not predict or see any of her own future? Perhaps she would not let herself see, in fear of seeing the failure of her race. In fear of seeing the failure of her own life.

Snorting at the image in the water, she swatted it away with her hand, the ripples undulating outwards and breaking against the lilies floating on the top of the clear pool. She shouldn't be crying over herself. Reaching down, she plucked the seashells from the bottom of the pool, and stood. Hanging a collection of sharpened shells from the bottom of her silver breastplate, she grabbed her staff and walked out towards her small party of militia awaiting her outside.

She pulled out a small pill, gazing at it quietly. Quelling a familiar sense of uncertainty with a frown, she put it in her mouth, swllowing the medicine.

Kagome walked out of the thin, liquid-like layer of the dome and immediately began to feel herself transform, a warm sensation flowing through her body. Closing her eyes, she felt her body slowly begin to get heavier as she rebalanced herself with the pressure of the water surrounding her. Her chest began to clench painfully as her body began to reshape her organs to allow her to breathe underwater. As soon as she felt the last shivering reallignment, she took a hesitant breath against the water. No matter how many times she trandformed, it always seemed to shake up her senses a bit.

Noticing one of her generals to her left, she pushed off the ground, swimming towards the browned-haired woman who was securing her hair in a high ponytail. "Sango-sama," she said, getting her attention, "Is the small party of thirty assembled for the sneak attack?"

She hastily pulled the strings of her hair tie tight and placed her hand on her chest, bowing her head in respect. "Hai, Hime-sama."

Kagome smiled at her friend. Even if they were very close and outside of such formalities in private, Sango was still required to recognize her position. Sango brushed her dark auburn hair over her shoulder and continued, her head still bowed. "We were awaiting your arrival before we departed."

Kagome nodded in aknowledgement. "Thank you." Sango lowered her arm, looking up at her with a small smile. She seemed to want to say something... but Kagome knew that it was most likely to be an attempt to dissuade her from coming with them. Kagome, disliking such conversations, whispered to her instead, "Where is Miroku?"

Sango stiffened at the mention of the princess's cousin; her expression falling from her previously resolute expression into a scowl. "Houshi-sama...?" she replied, her tone closed and uptight. She turned away, pursing her lips. "Who knows?"

Kagome slanted her a humored smile, returned with a sigh. Though her friend was in quite a state of denial, her warm relationship with Kagome's cousin was difficult to ignore, even though their sweeter moments tended to end abruptly with a slap. She absently wondered what their last argument had been about. "Where is Kouga-sama?" she asked suddenly, blinking and looking around for her other second in command.

"Here," came a voice from behind.

Kagome turned, her eyes resting upon a familiar figure. "Kouga-sama," she said, smiling softly at his arrival.

He wore a smile, his stance casual and confident as he walked towards her. "Hime-sama." He placed his hand upon his chest, closing his eyes and bowing. "Your beauty shall certainly give us victory," he said, glancing up at her with a smirk as she touched her lips with the tips of her fingers, looking away with a blush.

"As your strength shall give me my own," she replied, unable to hide the flattered smile beneath her plam.

He grasped her hand, head still bowed, and placed a light, formal kiss upon the back of her hand. She drew in a short breath as she felt his lips smile against her skin, her eyes fluttering closed.

_Her fingers lightly touched the orb of her staff, gazing at it quietly. There was to be a battle soon. She knew it. She had seen it. She drew in a deep breath, pulling forth a sum of her purification energy to her fingers, watching the orb pulse with a soft, purple hue. She had decided that it would be best to store some of her energy in her staff so that she would not be so drained after a few purification spells. She watched as her energy swirled within the orb, smiling softly to herself as its soft glow lighted her features._

_Arms wrapped around her shoulders, and she gasped, her hands tensing against the her staff as she felt warm breath against her ear._

_Her eyes softened and she relaxed, fading into his strong embrace. Lips brushed lightly against the soft curve of her neck. A smile lighted her eyes as she turned to look up at him, a hand reaching up to touch the line of his jaw, leaning up to press her lips against his, feeling his hand pull the neckline of her shirt down the curve of her shoulder..._

She drew in a sharp breath, her eyes snapping open as her hand slipped from out of his grasp, pink tinting her cheeks as she shied away her memory. "Shall we be going?" he asked, rolling his shoulders back as he gazed casually out into the ocean's depths.

Kagome nodded, quelling the light feeling in her stomach as she spoke, "O-of course." She did not so easily let slip her composure.

Sango turned to her, hefting a large gun over her shoulder. "Let us waste no more time."

He felt his frustration grind on his subconscious as they continued through the water, irately clenching the handle of his underwater speeder. He had lost count of how many times that he had sent a search party after this "Dimentoria". This time, he would personally accompany the idiots himself.

The only damned problem was that they just didn't know where the hell it was.

As they progressed through the sea, Inuyasha heard the soft rustle of something rushing through the water from behind him. His hands itched to touch the hilt of his gun. Something was out there.

He turned to look at his men, motioning for them to stop. There was a quiet hum as he and his party slowed down, their bikes slowing to a halt. His eyes narrowed in suspicion, looking around him, his ears and eyes perked for any sure sign of a Miko.

Within seconds, a light came slicing through the water, piercing the Youkai swimming next to Inuyasha, his blood oozing out of his back and obscuring the water with a dark red haze. His eyes narrowed and he hissed, "Shit."

Inuyasha didn't need to alert the other Youkai as more lasers and underwater bullets barraged the search party, abandoning the bikes. "Everyone look out, they're attacking from all sides!" The water began to cloud with red, and the clarity of his vision slowly decreased until all he could see in the murky waters were shadows.

It wasn't more than two minutes before half of his men were already out of the fight. He continued to shout oreders to his men as they tried to move out of the way of the objects that they couldn't see. With about six men left, Inuyasha was about to sign the retreat when the gunning suddenly stopped. Inuyasha's brow furrowed uncertainly. Where were they coming from? If only he could find their source of attacks, he might be able to escape with the few Youkai he had left. Though he hated such a cowardly solution to a battle, it would be foolish and pointless to stay and fight at thecurret rate of deaths.

Inuyasha motioned upwards for the few who could see, and they cleared out of the blurry haze of crimson into clearer water. He pressed a button on his belt that sent a silent alarm to his troops stationed on the boats above him. Realizing how far underwater they had traveled, Inuyasha grade his teath and wish they would arrive in time to turn the tide of the battle.

Before he could shout out an order to them, they were swarmed by a small band of the allies, finding himself surrounded as they pointed their guns at him. "Put your hands up and drop your weapons!" shouted one of the soldiers, aiming the barrel of his rifle at Inuyasha, who flexed his claws with a smirk. He wasn't leaving without a fight.

The human didn't even have to blink before he slashed through the barrel of the gun and straight through his body, shredding him into pieces as the water once again clouded with blood. He rushed at a second one, his claws ripping relentlessly through flesh, red smearing the water around him and sinking into his clothing. He continued to attack, backed up by the last Youkai left in his party, the attack party of allies slowly dwindling.

Inuyasha continued to fight them off with his claws, slashing through one and rushing to the next. He felt victory at his fingertips, and a smirk slid across his lips. In the second he dropped his guard, unsuspecting arms of an unnamed figure grabbed Inuyasha by the neck and pulled his arms up painfully behind his back. Inuyasha snarled, his lips curling over his fangs as he pulled at the small arms wrapped around his arms and neck, but they surprisingly held tight and strong. "Quit struggling, Youkai, unless you want to die," an icy, femanine voice hissed into his ear. "You wouldn't want that to happen, now would you?"

A growl reverberated in Inuyasha's throat as his ear twitched away from her voice, irritation pulling his lips into a snarl. "Let go of me, bitch!" he snarled, breaking forcefully out of the tight hold and sharply turning around to face his attacker. "Where the hell…?" he hissed, finding nothing but the absence of the warrior. He looked around to find no one, clenching his fists in annoyance. The other allies snickered, holding all of his men in power binds. Inuyasha sneered at the weak Youkai. Dammit.

He pulled back his claws to attack again, when a searing pain shot up his spine, causing his muscles to go rigid in shock. He felt himself fall forward, his nerves stunned as he looked over his shoulder.

The figure brandished a long staff, wearing a confident smirk. Now he could see who it was by their slender, finely shaped figure. The finely shaped figure of a woman. Inuyasha growled. "Kouga," she said, "Escort the prisoners to the Dungeons. Make sure they're blind folded." The water was too clouded to make out the details of her face. "I'll take care of this one."

The one named Kouga nodded. "Yes, hime-sama."

Inuyasha gaped at the woman who had attacked him with suppressed astonishment. This woman was the _princess_ of the Mikos? She looked had barely passed the years by which the humans would label "teenager". But it wasn't her age that shocked him, it was the stupidity of his enemy. He expected her to be tucked away at the city, far from harm, especially if she was their only important weapon. He usually didn't accompany the searches as he detested the rabble that was assigned to them, so she could have been in all of the previous attacks on his search parties and he wouldn't have known. After all, none of them lived to tell the tale. "You're the princess, eh?" he mocked, enjoying the surprised look on her face.

Inuyasha frowned deeply. "I would have never guessed that the Mikos were so pathetic that they would send out their own princess to fight their battles for them," he scoffed, watching her frown. His scowl transformed into a smirk as he continued. "Of course, you _are_ idiots, I suppose..." he spat at the woman, disrespect and spite coursing through his words. He watched as she frowned distastefully, angered by his words.

The princess whipped her staff around; hitting him across his face so hard the impact split his lip. He hissed as the salty waters touched his cracked lip, a small trickle of blood coming from the corner of his mouth. "I don't know why they sent such a weakling like _you_ to look for Dimetoria," she spat back at him, mimicking his mocking tone.

Inuyasha snarled. "I'm not the weak one, bitch. I could kill you in an instant if I wanted to," He retaliated, furious that he was getting this kind of shit from a woman. It didn't matter though. They weren't far now.

She glared at him spitefully. "You'd better watch who you are talking to, you—" she was cut off when she heard the rustling of the water, the sudden impact of the youki hitting her full-force. "What! More of them? Our radar didn't detect them!" she exclaimed, a shocked look overtaking her facial features. She quickly turned to Kouga. "Knock out the Youkai and leave them! Swim as fast as you can to the city! You and Sango make sure to cover your tracks on your trip back, because more are approaching this way! Be quick and don't be seen!"

She gripped her staff in preparation for combat. This was it. This was her chance to make a difference. "Don't worry about me," she added, her expression turning serious.

"But we want to help you!" Sango shouted.

"If you want to help me, then go where it's safe!" she yelled, her severe expression shocking her two colonels. "I can take care of this! I want you to protect the city if anything happens, now go!" Kagome faced the oncoming enemy.

When her friends didn't move, she yelled with more force, "If you are caught, that will only cause more pain!" Kagome turned to Sango, who was shocked. "Please! Go! I don't want to loose my friends!"

Kouga's expression hardened in defiance. "Kagome, now is not the time to play heroine, dammit!" He had already lost his sister in battle, he wasn't about to loose her.

Kagome's face softened at his concerned tone, but she couldn't allow it. "As Hime of Dimetoria, I ORDER you to go!" Both Sango and Kouga's expression were reluctant, and she knew they wanted to protest.

It didn't matter if they did or didn't though; they had to obey her. With a strained grimace, Sango roughly snatched Kouga's arm and jerked him away from her. "Come on."

He pulled against her grip, glancing over his shoulder at her. Kagome was looking back at him, her expression barely reconizable in the clouded water. She frowned at him, jerking her head in a motion for him to leave. He felt a growl roll up in his chest, but he couldn't disobey her, no matter what they were away from the battlefeild.

Sango tugged his arm again, beginning to drag him away. "Come _on_, Kouga!" He couldn't leave her. Sango's tugging became more rough. "Kouga, if we don't go now, the waters may clear up and we'll loose our cover!"

His fists clenched, but he finally turned away, merely allowing Sango to drag him away from Kagome as she turned her back to him, fading into the murky waters. "You better not fucking die, Kagome," he whispered, before turning and following Sango into the darkness of the ocean.

Kagome felt a bile rise in her throat as she felt his presence slowly fade. At least she could cover their tracks. "Don't you die on me, Kouga," she whispered, her hands tightening.

A huge party of about sixty Youkai approached Kagome. The Youkai she had previously been fighting smirked as his comrades appeared behind him, his confidence renewed. "There's no where to go, little girl."

What do you think? I was hesitant about the last part, with Inuyasha capturing Kagome in the first chapter and all... I hope that you like the idea! I decided to make it so that Kagome had someone she cared about a lot back where she lives because it adds more flavor to the story. I don't intend to make Kouga a jerk in this fanfiction, so don't come here looking for Kouga bashing or anything like that.

I intend to portray him in character, and not slander him because he's in love with Kagome and everyone wants Inu and Kag to get together. Kouga and Kagome's love is just more profound in this story because she doesn't have anyone holding her back… like Inu cough cough yasha…

Until next time!


	2. Captured

Okay, I know I said a week… but a week turned into a week and a half… and then three weeks… and then a month… and then three months… and when I find a good, convincing excuse for that, I'll get back to you on it. But I'm sure you'd rather read the chapter than my author's note anyway.

Disclaimer: Got a trivia question for you: Is my name Rumiko Takahashi? If you said no, then you get a new chapter! Congradulations!

_Forbidden To Love_

_Chapter 2: Captured_

_By: Kaji-chan_

So now the real battle begins.

Her eyes were transfixed on the overshadowing cluster of youkai before her. Many of the youkai she had fought previously had been some type of humanoid or another. So, in many senses, this battle would be much easier than would have normally been, considering that she would not hold herself back. If they looked like monsters, it would be much easier to convince her conscious that killing them was for the better of humanity.

Which, without much doubt, it was.

Kagome bit her lip, concentrating on her powers. If she could concentrate enough, she could probably purify enough of them to escape without harm, but her odds were beginning to slim as she saw more appear behind him. She had never fought with so many at one time before, and certainly by herself.

This was certainly boiling down to be her moment of truth. If under other circumstances, she might have found humor in her misfortune, but it seemed that she would have to save such feelings of abnormality for later. She began to focus on their jyaki, realizing just exactly what kind of hole she had dug hereself into... and it seemed to be a pretty damn big one. "Dammit…" she whispered, the profanity awkward on her tongue.

She began to sum up some of her energy, assuming that they would attack in waves rather than as a whole. She began swimming backwards to give her enough space to summon some spiritual power for such a large excorsism, her hands twisting nervously over the smooth metal of her staff.

The hanyou smirked at her, his arms crossed as he numbered his odds against her. She returned his smirk with a determined glare, challenging him. He did not dissapoint her challenge. "Kill her."

Just as she had predicted, the first wave came at her; fangs, swords, and talons flexed and prepared to tear flesh. She held her staff before her, eyes closed in concentration as she found a spiritual equilibrium, balancing out her emotion to keep calm and collected, waiting for the perfect moment.

_There._

She clasped her hands together, concentrating her energy for a short moment before throwing it out of her, feeling a wave of purification shoot out of her body, obliterating the enemy as it tore throught them. She opened her eyes, a small smile on her face as she observed the hanyou's irritated expression through the soft purple glow which surrounded her body in the aftershock.

He sent a second wave towards her, his anger visibly growing as they feel to the same fate as the first; not a single trace was left of them but the soft twinkle of purified sparkles as they blinked and faded around her. He singnaled for a third wave to attack her. She smiled. This would be an easy win if he continued to--

Suddenly, he backtracked, pointing at half of the attack force. "You!" he barked as they were but seconds from the outskirts of her purifying range, "Follow those two! They're headed for Dimetoria!"

Half of her enemies suddenly halted, redirecting their attack in the direction of Sango and Kouga, quickly catching up to their hastened escape.

"No!" screamed Kagome, her voice cracking in fear and desperation, her balance suddenly pitching forward as she lost her concentration, fighting forward to get to her friends. She needed to clear a path for their escape and protect it, or her fighting would be for nothing. Ignoring her opening for attack and forgetting the other approaching youkai, she placed a foot on the edge of the reef, pushing off with all her might and rocketing forward to cross in front of their approach.

They did not slow, barreling towards her. "You will go NO further!" she hissed the grip on her staff tightening. It was time to be serious. A familiar feeling began to pool at her fingertips as she felt the ancient power of her distant ancestors flow through her veins; the purifying power of the Mikos. Closing her eyes, she focused the energy through her fingers, into the staff's central power core, the crystal. The pale jewel nestled at the end of her staff began to glow softly, energy forming in its center and seeping a warming pulsation of light into the murky waters surrounding the princess. The light spread to her features, illuminating her angry and determined expression beneath its harsh glow. "I will not die here." she whispered, her voice a smooth monotone of perfection.

Some of them hesitated and began to swim backwards in fear. Before they could get far, Kagome's eyes shot open, her smoky blue orbs hardened and cold as ice as her attck solidified beneath her fingertips. She felt a cry rip through her lips as she flung her energy forward, its purple hue tearing through the murky darkness of the waters.

The jolt of purifying energy shot forward, headed straight for the youkai soldiers, emitting a bright flash of light as it came in contact with the corruption of their bodies. The youkai screamed in agony as the purification spell consumed them, disintegrating every inch of youki in their souls and tearing mercilessly through their existence.

She turned briefly to watch them escape, a sigh of relief touching her lips as they swam out of sight.

More youkai approached the princess as she redirected her attention, and she realized she was far too outnumbered. Kagome's eyes remained cold, her grip on her staff not lessening in the least as she continued to chant, the glow of the jewel flickering back to life. She had almost no energy left in her. Perhaps it was time to use a spell to bide her time to escape. If she could cause some sort of distraction...?

Muttering a casting chant beneath her breath, she felt a tingling flare at her fingertips, draining nearly half of her powers into her final attempt before she feld. "Please..." she whispered, a blinding light shooting from her staff and blanketing the darkness with a bright, white light. As the light sustained itself, she turned in the opportunity for a quick escape.

Not wasting a seccond more, she desperately swam backwards to get out of range of their sight once the light died. She might have another few seconds if she was lucky. Another swarm began to approach her, and she bit her lip. Where the hell were they all coming from! She didn't have energy left to summon forth purification... Kagome twisted quickly, muttering another light spell hastily. The orb began to emit light once more as she thrust it forward with a powerful cry, releasing a simple blinding spell again as she continued forward. A beam of light temporarily blinded the pursuing youkai as she tried to make a run for it.

Before she could swim very far, a foot shot out and dealt a powerful kick to her head, feeling her body pitching forward as pain flowed from the wound and shocked her nerves into paralyzation. Kagome was rendered shocked, stars dancing before her eyes as the effect of the light incantation quickly faded. How had he...?

Her senses returned to her, and she curled up, clutching her throbbing temples. She felt a sting as the icy salt water touched the new open wound on the back of her head. She shakily turned to face the attacker, her head spinning so violently that her vision blackened. "If you come any closer, I'll kill you!" she screamed into the dark, wildly swiping her staff back and forth as she sensed the youkai surround her.

She was cornered.

She could hear the smirk in his voice. "Try."

Kagome bit her lip, her vision slowly returning. She could see him, though only barely as a red and white blob, floating before her. She backed away, rapidly blinking her eyes to clear their fuzziness. He followed her as she swam backwards, raising his hand in preparation to attack. "Stay away!" she cried, swinging her staff at him, clenching her teeth as he easily avoided its arc, continuing towards her.

Furious that she couldn't hit him, she used her advantage of speed against him and rocketed towards him, swinging her staff as hard as possible towards his head, her vision clearer now. He merely smirked at her, raising one hand to block the attack with his forearm, barely wincing as it slammed into his shoulder.

"Just give up," he mocked, grinning. "You can't win."

Snarling, she grabbed his arm, using the leverage to whip her leg around to whack him powerfully in the head, his surprise at her sudden attack evident in his expression, slumping away from her. Kagome took her opening, shooting off away from the group of youkai, leaving him in a mild state of shock.

"After her, you idiots!" she heard him bark at his hoarde. "We need her if we are going to find out where Dimetoria is!"

Youkai were already there, blocking her path of escape. Kagome didn't let off any steam and continued forward, using her forward momentum to slash through them with a powerful swing of her staff. Two of them dropped back from the impact in pieces, but the survivors grabbed her arms and waist, momentarily halting her. Her brow furrowing, Kagome took a deep breath, summoning forth the last bits of her energy, momentarily releasing her staff. Twisting, she threw the guards off her with a great extertion of difficulty and whirled on them, her hands splaying outwards, blasting them with a surge of purification energy.

Without a second thought, she grappled for her sinking staff and shot off again.

She gasped as guards used the distraction to swarm her, immediately forcing her arms to her sides and tying them down, preventing her from punching. "NO!" she screamed, twisting and rolling as she tried with all her might to get the restraints off of her, knocking a few youkai out of the way with her violent thrashing.

The hanyou swam over to her and pulled out a sword from a hilt on one of the guards, letting it glint threateningly in the dim light as he smiled pleasingly at her. Kagome didn't allow her fear to show as she growled at him. "Go ahead, kill me. You won't get any good out of it, you bastard! In the time it takes you to kill me, reinforcements will have already arrived." Kagome fought the urge to bite her lip at her bluff, narrowing her eyes in defiance.

He seemed to be amused by her words. "Don't be stupid. I'm not going to kill you," he drawled, his lips twisted into a humored grin.

"You won't?" she asked in faint surprise, her voice touched with a strong sense of distrust.

"Not _yet, _anyway We need you to find that lost city of yours," he replied, calmly. Kagome's eyes widened and she jerked at her restraints, pulling on the youkai holding onto her ropes as she got up in his face, a scowl molding her features. He only grinned.

Before she could register what was happening, Inuyasha used all his strength and slammed the flat side of his blade into her temples, knocking her into unconsciousness.

Inuyasha smirked as the miko princess fell limp and began to sink down to the bottom, her tight grip on her staff slacking and dropping it, a small trickle of blood drifting from the side on her head. Inuyasha grabbed her waist as she tumbled downwards and kicked her staff towards the guards, beginning to bark out orders to the officers. "You! Take a few soldiers and scan the area for any others. The rest of you, come with me to the surface. Do it!"

The officers scrambled to do as they were told and Inuyasha headed to the surface, the princess hanging limply underneath his arm. He looked down at her peacefully unconscious face, studying her face silently. He sighed irately, a small smirk on his face as he looked down upon her sleeping expression. "You're our ticket, princess."

Sango had to hold Kouga back as he fought harshly against her, trying with all his might to break her hold on him and kill the bastard. They had only half-heartedly swam a few meters, Sango--ironically--begging Kouga to turn back to check up on their friend. What a mistake that had been. And now that the murky waters had begun to clear up and they could see what was _really _going on from a safe enough distance, holding him back from doing anything _really_ stupid was becoming more and more difficult.

"Kouga! Don't be stupid! If you go out there now, you'll be killed!"

He continued to struggle, growling obscenities underneath his breath. "That fucking bastard… wait 'til I get my hands on you for fucking touching her!" he snarled, "I'll tear you into so many FUCKING pieces…"

Sango strained against his struggling. "Kagome-chan would never fogive me if I let go out there and get yourself killed!" He growled, thrashing against her. "She is stronger than the both of us combined! If she couldn't handle them--" she cried, trying not to be too loud as to attract any unwanted attention.

"Let go of me Sango, I'm going to fucking KILL him!" he growled, watching with a growing anger as they began to disappear towards the surface.

"No--Listen to me! Kouga!" He continued to fight as they faded from view, snarling visiously. "Stop it! KOUGA!"

He suddenly ceased, his struggles weakening and subsiding as he watched them dissapear from view. He snarled, yanking his arm out of her slackened grip, glaring off to the side as she paused uncertainly. Sighing noticeably, he turned his eyes to her, whispering quietly, "Let's go back and notify her mother."

Sango nodded and the two led the small party back to the city to inform the rest of Dimetoria of their princess' departure and to think of a plan to get her out.

Inuyasha leaned against the wall of the cabin, staring out across the outstretch of sea, the wind whipping against his face. He frowned, his nose twitching from the salty stench that assaulted his nose upon each intake of breath. He hated the ocean.

Yet, he could manage to ignore such irritations today. His gaze dropped from the ocean, and he turned to the door behind him, leaving the boat deck and disappearing into the small cabin. He closed the door behind him, turning his attention to the still form of a woman, lying upon the floor at the other side of the room.

A small smirk lifted his features, and he made his way over to her, kneeling beside her body. It was certainly luck to stumble upon her outside of the city's limits, and even more fortunate to have the chance to capture her. She would certainly be of great use to him, if he could get her to talk, which, he added with a smirk, wouldn't be very difficult.

This woman, though...

His smirk faded, and his eyes swept over the features of her peacefully slumbering face. A frown crossed his features, and his eyes hardened. There was no mistake; this bitch was the spitting image of Kikyou. If her hair were a bit longer... straighter... darker... there would be no misconceiving it.

There was something strange about her. She had almost the exact same feel as Kikyou as well. He had almost thought it _was_ her at first, but... that would be impossible. He drew in a breath, his brows drawing lower as his nose twitched in unfamiliarity.

Her scent, however... Her scent was much different. Her scent as softer, almost sweeter than Kikyou's. He had always thought of Kikyou's scent as a strong, encompassing scent, often, upon his recollection, resembling the transitions of fall to winter. Her presence reminded him of the colder seasons, almost chilling but, somehow, very peaceful and calm.

But this woman; she was so alive. Her scent wasn't sharp and brusque as Kikyou's was, but, even though it was gentle, had a certain spice and rebellion to it. It seemed, though, as he drew in another deep breath, that they both held a peaceful edge to it. He snorted, pushing her smell from his nose with a grimace. As if she could be Kikyou.

He stood with another snort, brushing his claws against his nose as if to shoo her away from his senses. "Stupid bitch..." he muttered, turning to gaze out of the window.

He paused, looking back over his shoulder at the unconscious figure. After another few moments, he crossed his arms, turning a bit more to stare at her features with a curious frown. "Who are you...?" he mumbled.

"Inuyasha..."

Inuyasha shook his eyes from the woman, turning to the door as it swung open, an old, nasty looking snake hybrid sneering through the crack. "What the hell do you want?" he barked, stepping away from the woman and folding his arms into his sleeves with an irritated grunt.

"We have arrived," it hissed, turning slitted eyes to the fallen miko's form. Inuyasha's eyes narrowed as he observed the smirk upon the youkai's face, watching him bare his teeth greedily. "And what of the girl?"

He turned his nose up to the low youkai, taking a protective step before her and flexing his claws. "She's my prey. I'll do with her what I wish, low life."

His smirk quickly changed to a glare in response to his threat, retracting slowly from the doorway into the darkening outside. "Fine... hanyou." Inuyasha bared his fangs, clenching his hands into fists. "If you weren't under Naraku's protection, _hanyou_, I would tear you apart for that."

"Keh," he sneered, one eye twitching as he supressed his own anger. "Watch your fucking mouth, before I take care of it for you." He flinched, but did not take the incentive to leave. Inuyasha's eyes narrowed, and he held his flexed claws before him threateningly. If this low life wouldn't respect his authority, he would certainly respect the prospect of his own deminse. His voice dropped low, and he sneered. "Get out."

The door slammed behind him, and Inuyasha dropped his fists, the anger fading slowly from his eyes. "Bastard..." he hissed at the closed door, shrugging his shoulder as he turned to glare half-heartedly at Kikyou's imitation. His glare, too, began to fade, and he crouched by her form, staring upon her features with an irritated perplexity. "Who are you?" he repeated.

It seemed that Kikyou had finally come back to haunt him.

"Captured...?"

Kouga and Sango bowed their heads in aknowledgement. "Hai, Jo'ou-sama," they whispered, Kouga's tone choked.

The queen raised a hand to her lips, blanketing the soft gasp rising in her throat. Captured! Kagome was in the hands of the enemy? Her only daughter?

She sighed deeply, feeling a tight squeeze in her chest, clutching her pain with a trembling fist. Closing her eyes, the queen turned to face her daughter's two friends with a solemn smile. "Please, do not bother with formailites."

Sango bit her lip, nodding. It was painful to watch the expressions flicker across the queen's face as they told her the condition of her daughter's absence. After knowing the queen for almost the entirety of her life, Sango had grown to love her as the mother she never knew as a child. Kagome's mother had always been there for her with open arms, loving her as if she was her own. Sango never deserved the kind treatment she recieved from such a selfless individual as the woman standing before her. Speaking to her of her daughter's kidnapping was as if she was breaking the woman's heart with her own hands. Her eyes fell closed in shame.

Two hands touched her cheek with a light, careful tone. Sango lifted her chin, her eyes fluttering open to gaze up into the queen's face. "Sango... she whispered, "daughter..." Sango bit her lip once more. "Please. I do not blame you for her capture anymore than I blame the ocean for it's existence around us."

Sango gazed into her eyes, her tone soft and gentle against her hollow hearing. "Everything has a purpose, just as everything serves a purpose. Your duty was to protect my daughter to your fullest extent, in which you preformed exceeding any expectations I preceeded. Do not blame yourself for fate, for that is far out of your reach of conrtol." Sango drew in a deep breath, calming herself by the older woman's words of wisdom with a nod. The queen smiled gently, her hand cupping Sango's cheek and stroking her long, brunette tresses in a soothing, mother-like fashion.

"It's my fault, Jo'ou-sama. I take full responisibility."

The queen straightened, her gaze falling from Sango's to rest on the turned back of Kouga's form. "Kouga, it is not your--"

"It IS my fault!" he cried, his head bowing in shame. "I shouldn't have listened to her... I should have took her place. I should have protected her."

"It is not your fault," the queen argued, her tone restrained.

Kouga turned to face her, his expression torn and his eyes trembling. "How could it not be? It's my _duty_ to protect the princess... it was my _duty_ to risk everything to keep her from harm--"

"Which you did, Kouga." He looked away from her piercing stare. "I will not prosecute you for following a direct order from my daughter. It is your duty to listen to orders before it is your duty to defy them."

He remained silent.

The queen sighed softly, clasping her hands loosely in front of her. "I will not tolerate anyone else accepting the blame for such an incident. It was niether of your faults," she repeated with a solemn closure.

"But it was my--"

"Jo'ou-sama--!"

"NO!" she reponded, her tone harsh with authority. "This conversation ends here. You will exit this room, but your conversation and any guilt you hold will be left behind as soon as you step into that hallway. Is that understood?"

She waited for their nods of understanding before she continued. "Furthermore, I do not want to hear of this again lest it is pertaining to the subject of bringing my daughter back home." Kouga bit his lip and bowed his head further. "As your first course of duty, you will summon a research team and you will find out where they are keeping her. Do _not_ report back to me until she is found, understood?"

Sango and Kouga dropped to a knee, bowing their heads to their superior. "Hai, Jo'ou-sama."

The queen watched them in silence for a moment, as if collecting her thoughts. "You are dismissed," she whispered, her voice calm and gentle once more, almost apologetic in it's tone.

They bowed their heads in recognition, both standing in unison and turning, walking calmly out of the doors to disappear into the corridor. The queen watched in silence as the doors swung shut, masking the room in a blanket of stillness once more.

She tentatively made her way up the smooth, marble steps to the throne, pausing before it. Her hand brushed against the finely crafted oak, faintly admiring the soft, delicate designs inscribed onto the arm rest. Her hand trembled, and she stumbled forward, gracefully into the chair as tears shimmered in her eyes. A hand snaked up and covered her eyes, a sob wracking her chest as she bowed forward, crying softly into her hands. "Kagome..."

Kouga paced the length of the hallway with a tangible anger highlighting his form, his steps loud as they echoed down the corridor. "That bastard... that fucking _bastard!" _he ranted, his clenched fists shaking in fury.

Sango winced, quickening her steps to keep up with his long strides. "Kouga... now is not the time to get angry."

"Of course it's not the time to be angry! I'm fucking FURIOUS!"

Sango smiled nervously.

"There is no way I am leaving Kagome to those youkai bastards, _no fucking way!" _He whirled around the corner, heading straight for the research lab.

"Kouga..." Sango began hesitantly. Perhaps now would be a bad time to remind him that he was a youkai?

"No! We are going to find her NOW, we are going to prepare a search party NOW, and we are going to find her NOW!"

The taijiya slowly inched away from his seething form, her eyes apologetic as she followed from a safe distance towards the research lab. She had seen him get angry before, but never like this. Sure, he was worried about Kagome, but so was she. You didn't see her stomping around the base and throwing a temper tantrum. Now was certainly not the time to be acting so childish when something as important as her friend's safety was at hand.

The wolf youkai wasted no time, kicking open the doors with such force that it knocked one of them off their hinges, the door handing from the door frame at a dangerous angle. The scientists and technitions all paused, turning to gaze upon the scene in surprise and fear, freezing as they watched him stalk to the edge of the lab. "YOU!" he bellowed, whirling and pointing a finger a one of the fear-stricken scientists, anger glinting in his eyes, "Up here, now!"

The man didn't have to be told twice. He fumbled out of his chair, scrambling up to stand a safe distance from Kouga's seething figure. "You!" he pointed, "You! The one over there with the glasses, yeah, you! Up here now!"

One by one, the selected researchers scrambled up to form a line along the wall nearest the commanding officer. "Who is familiar with power fluctuation locations? You, up here!"

Sango watched wearily as Kouga selected a team of about ten, barking out orders at them and pointing them to respective tasks. If he didn't surpress that anger of his, there was no way they were going to find Kagome. She sighed, deciding that opening her mouth and telling Kouga to "chill" wouldn't solve much and she would still be stuck standing there with nothing to toil conscious with. Sending a curt nod his way, she turned on her heel and exited the research lab.

She hadn't taken more than three steps out of the double doors before the familiar caress of a sneaking hand fluttered across her shoulder. Sango gasped, raising her hand to whirl and slap the offender, but was pulled into a chest, her arms trapped to her side by a humorous embrace. "Sango... did you miss me?"

"If you don't take your hands off me," she threatened, her eyes closed and twitching in irritation, "I will personally give the scientists in that lab a reason to add a third gender to their research records."

"Ma, ma, Sango..." he said with a resignated sigh, releasing her reluctantly.

Sango shot away from him, whirling around with a slap ready and itching at her fingertips. "Houshi-sama!" He held his hands out in apology, smiling with child's innocence as he chuckled at her reaction. She paused, her hand twitching as she studied his expression. Either she wasn't paying enough attention or he was just getting too fast for her, the latter to which she took a wary mental note. Though she wanted to be terribly angry at him, its potency seemed to die in her eyes. Her tone quieted as she allowed her hand to drop to her side, her lips pursed. "You're out early," she mumbled, changing subject as to halt any questioning of her rare forgiveness.

"I was let out on good behavior," he replied, a smile twitching on his lips.

Sango kept in a snort, eyeing him with a distrusting glare. "Or you let yourself out."

The monk sighed. "Yes, being head of the monestary always lent me some advantage..."

"I think it's a crime that you have no superiors," she retorted, starting off down the hall again.

He trotted after her, evening his stride to match hers as he walked with her down the hallway. "Kagome-sama is my superior, Sango, as is the queen herself." She glanced at him with a wary eye, seemingly taking a cautious note of the distance between herself and the monk beside her. "Yare, yare, I will not touch you."

"I don't trust you."

Sigh.

"Will I ever gain your trust, Sango?"

"No."

"But I have yet to betray it, so how could it be lost?"

"Please remove your hand."

"...ah..."

I thought I'd end on a more humorous note, since this story in particular is going to be quite... serious... So, some mention of "Naraku", eh? That should make things more interesting. Hope to see everyone soon!

Next chapter: Claustrophobia


	3. Claustrophobia

So I'm going through my edits and I realize that I hadn't checked through this chapter (even though I wrote it only a few days ago) and I should probably check it up on fluidity, concerning the fact that I wrote it before editing the first two chapters of this story... So, anyway, I'm going through it, and I realized that I had completely gone off in the wrong direction, and I ended up having to write the whole thing over.

It sounds a lot better (and goes along with the plot a lot better), though some of the dialogue between Inuyasha and Kagome seem a bit awkward to me. Does it to you? Well, wait, you haven't read it yet, have you? sigh I'm finished ranting; onwards.

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**_Forbidden To Love_**

_Chapter 3: Claustrophobia_

_By: Kaji-chan_

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A soft, purple glow lighted upon the horizon, and Kagome looked up, gazing upon it with the strange content of confusion. What was that light?

She felt herself stumble towards it, a hand stretching forward as she reached out for the illumination. There was something about this light... something that warmed her inside, filled the hollow space left behind by the absence of her memory.

As she drew closer, she felt each step fill her with an incredible revitalization... almsost overpowering in her strength. Her feet dragged against the ground as she pushed forward, her fingers extended towards her destination.

And then, suddenly, the horizon dissappeared, the once bright light now merely a darkening glow. She found herself swallowed in black, and all that remained was the dim, fading purple light beyond her. "Ma--matte..." she whispered, her walk slowing to a halt as she stared longingly towards the disappearing light.

Her eyes trailed down towards her hands, and a gasp locked in her throat. "Wha..."

She couldn't see her fingers.

She jerked her gaze to her clothing, watching, horrified, as it, too, was slowly disapearing. Black was slowly creeping up her sleeve and soaking into her skin as it began to bleed into the surrounding darkness and faded from her sight. "What is happening to me!" she cried, wrapping her arms around herself as if in attempt to stop from fading completely.

Kagome's body went rigid, feeling that strange warmth inside of her suddenly spike and strengthen, pain shooting from her core to every end of her body. She dropped to her knees, a gasp of pain escaping her as the black continued to consume her. Her eyes slowly trailed from her fading body to the spot of the faded horizon, staring helplessly into the purple glow.

Her eyes widened as they came to focus on the light, breath catching painfully in her throat as her eyes barely made out a the unmistakable shape of a figure masked against the soft hues. Their long robes billowed in the hollow, solitary wind of the darkness, whipping their hair about them. She blinked, focusing upon them, watching through clouded eyes as the pain began to creep up through her chest. The figure paused and turned, seemingly noticing her as they turned their head to regard her.

Her lips parted to scream for help, but the darkness had already constricted her neck, fluttering against her jaw and absorbing the light tickle of her hair. They turned completely, facing her, but did not move forward to help her. She squinted, trying to see their face, trying to recognize it.

Before she could see their face, the darkness had begun to swim her vision, swallowing her sight and numbing all of her pain as she felt her eyes slowly drift closed, only two blurred colors lingering before she faded completely.

Red and...

White?

Kagome felt her head swim dangerously as she shot up, clutching her throbbing skull and trying to adjust her swimming vision. A twinge of pain emerged from the back of her head, and she reached a hand back to gently touch the tender area. She winced when her fingers flaked off some dried blood that had matted her beautiful black hair, and immediately drew back the probing finger. "Ite…"

A wave of fatigue washed over her, and her vision once again began to reel out of focus. Her wounds must have been severe to cause her to be this exhausted; the amount of energy usually required to heal a wound was never as great as it was now. She let her eyes drift shut as she focus her senses on the aching all over her body... silently assessing the damage. She bit her lip. It looked as if she would be spending the next day or so fading in and out of consciousness from exhaustion at the rate she was healing.

Kagome sighed softly, leaning back a bit to rest her head against the wall behind her. She reared forward with a sharp gasp as her back touched the jagged edges of a cold, stone wall.

"What?" Her head snapped around, feeling the sharp edge of a metal collar bite into the already sore area around her neck, chains clanging together as they were reawakened from the prone resting position at her sides. She instantly regretted the action as her head throbbed from abuse, blinking for a moment as she waited for the focus of her vision to return from its blurred state. It took merely a few breaths before realization hit her; she was in a dungeon. "That's right…" she hissed under her breath, "I was abducted by _them_…"

But then again, this was her usual reaction; the one she had every morning for the past four days as she woke up on the floor of a musty dungeon cell with scattered thoughts. It was as if the blow to her head had caused minor memory loss every morning after she awoke from the same disturbing dreams she had been suject to recently. Not that these foreshadowing psychies were of much help to her current mental and physical conditions. Just thinking about the burning sensation of purification flames engulfing her body sent her head bound for a week of headaches. She decided to not dwell on the reoccuring nightmares for now.

The miko princess attempted to stand, but her ankles were bolted into chains, and her injuries were not seeming to cooperate with her demands. Squeezing her eyes shut, she collapsed again, her hands falling out to pad her fall. With a sigh or irritation and further inspection, she found that her wrists were still bolted as well. "Chained cuffs. Fantastic…" she muttered in annoyance, realizing that her plans of escaping single handedly had suddenly come crashing down upon itself. There was no way she could get out when bolted to the ground by metal chains… and, of course, there was also the slight impediment of dried blood and unpleasant bruises affectating areas of her body from slow-healing wounds. Not that she hadn't realized this every morning... it just seemed to come back to her in pieces during her first ten minutes of waking moment.

She looked down at her hands, sliding the slightly loose metal shackle on her wrist up her arm a bit--or what the constraint of the shackle allowed--revealing a red rash, irritated by the constant rubbing of the bearings against her skin during her fitful slumber. She ran a finger over the sensitive area and drew back a hiss of pain. "Curse them…" she hissed, her hand loosely encircling her sore wrist.

"You're the one who's cursed, princess."

Her head shot up and spun to face the source of the voice, causing her mind to spin and pulsate painfully again. She fell back a bit, her hands shooting out behind her to catch her fall backwards, her eyes blurring as her head throbbed at her painful action. She hissed, clutching her temples as her eyes came slowly into focus.

When her vision finally cleared, she slowly looked up and frowned, ascertaining that he was too shadowed to be seen. Just how long had he been standing there, and how was it that her injuries had weakened her powers so greatly that she had not noticed his presence? Though her thoughts recollected slowly, she was sure that she had not been visited previously. Perhaps they decided letting her rot in a cell for four days would break her enough for iterrogation? "Are you so afraid of your enemy in chains that you would not show your face, captor?" she said, spite coloring her voice to a dark undertone, which was cracked from days of disuse. Even in anger, she could not surpress her habitual etiquette.

"Strong words, princess," he replied, a travestying tone to his voice.

Her eyes narrowed at his mockery of her, of her responsibilities as a leader of her people. But how would such a savage know anything of responsibilities? She snorted in mal contempt. "You're lucky that these chains are the only thing holding me back, you... you coward!"

Her voice was awkward and childish, and she frowned upon herself. She couldn't liberate her words, she couldn't speak their profanity. They screamed freely in her eyes but fought harshly against her lips.

She could feel a heightened glare burn into her, and eyes, hidden in the murky light of the dungeon, boring into her. There was a tense silence in which the detached voice studied her, seemingly amused by her petty insult but incensed by her eyes. The voice continued after a long moment, a light hint of threat in his voice as their formalities fell on ice. "You should know your place, miko filth."

Kagome's eyebrow twitched at his reference to her people. "How dare you speak to me that way..." she hissed, her hands curling into fists as she seethed in anger.

He chuckled, and she saw him cross his arms in the dim light of the dungeons. "Well, aren't you the spiteful little bitch."

"You... bastard." She hissed in retort, the vulgar word foreign on her pure and mannered tongue. "What do you want with me?"

He chuckled once more, his tone of voice wearing a devious smirk. "To find Dimentoria, of course."

"Oh?" Kagome's graceful eyebrow was drawn down into a contorted scowl, her refined speech now lowered to a sneer as she replied, "I'll never tell you anything. If you think I'm your ticket to the destruction of my own people, then you are better off kissingthe foot of my _grave_."

"Do you think you have a choice?" he asked, almost as if he was angered by her constant refusal to submit to him. "The longer you hold back your information, the longer your suffering. Until you tell us what we want, you can starve. You can't afford to strain your powers so thin, lest you die of your injuries."

Kagome could feel her blood run cold. She couldn't lie to herself; she knew his words were true. If she continued to fight them and was forced to starve herself, she wouldn't have enough energy to heal herself _and_ keep her body alive enough to insurrect them. Her chest constricted.

"Meanwhile, we'll purge the waters in our own search. It's your own choice, _miko_, but if you want to help your own people, you'd be wise as to not be stubborn... there are many ways we can persuade you--_forcefully_--if necessary."

Kagome jumped forward suddenly, ignoring the surge of pain from her head and pulled forward, raising a glowing first to strike him with a fierce growl, purification energy swirling around her form. The light from her fist fluttered across is face, revealing to her his wide, fang-exposing smirk. She narrowed her eyes at his cockiness, pulling back her hand to shoot her deadly purifying powers towards his form, but she felt something tug at her neck. Her eyes widened. It wasn't the metal collar.

She barely managed to gasp out a raspy "What the—" before the light tugging immediately turned into an intense burning that sent electricity all through her body, causing her form to seize in shock. Her body shuddered once before her vision swam again and she collapsed to the floor in a crumpled heap. "What," she wheezed, "…is this?"

Kagome saw out of the corner of her eye as the man crossed his arms, taking a small step forward, towards the small ray of light that filtered into the dark dungeon. "It's a collar for you. Consider it a way of keeping you in line."

She squeezed her eyes shut in the effort of turning her head to face his form, slowly opening them to stare up at him. "How… how dare you…"

Kagome held back a gasp as she finally got a good look at him, realizing it was the same man who had led the attack against the borders of her city… the one who had captured her. Except... now she was able to look at him without the murkiness of bloody salt water clouding her picture, and was somewhat surprised by what she saw.

He was tall and lean, though she didn't have to second glance him to know that there was formidible power coiled beneath the concealing cloth of his baggy, red clothing. The long, silver hair which cascaded down his back--which, oddly, was far longer than hers and almost reached past his waist--was a stark contrast to the dark shade of his old, traditional attire. She had heard that there were those who still retained the custom of the olden days, from before the ancient times when demons were supposedly erased from all existance, but she had never seen one who did. His gold-tinted eyes glared down at her with a mocking glint to them, looking down at her subdued form over the bridge of his nose with a cocky grin.

There was something familiar about him... something that tugged at the back of her subconscious. She pushed it away, not particuarly enjoying the feeling of nausea that followed the probing of her memories. It seemed as though her amnesia wasn't about to allow her access to that forgotten past just yet, especially not when she was trying to deal with such a severe blow to the head...

But, from a common observation, he was obviously a demon, though she could tell with a quick rendering of his aura that there was something odd about him. Kagome frowned at her captor, who only returned it with a wider smirk, his fangs overlapping his lips in a cruel sneer of ridicule. She blinked curiously, however, at two white ears atop his head, twitching in amusement at her paralyzed form lying motionless on the ground. She was taken aback by their austere dissimilarity to his overall fierce and gruff appearance. Not that it took away from his ability to be fairly intimidating.

So, a dog demon, was he? It seemed, after noting the slip in his appearance, that he was having trouble upholding his human guise. Though, to be unable to completely transform into and _hold_ a human form was a sign of either a weak youkai... or...

She had heard of such a thing... that youkai offspring mixed with other, outside blood would sometimes result in the lack of a second form. Rather than having the luxury of switching between two forns, they were mishappen with physical traits incorporated into what would be their original and only form, or vis versa. In this one's case, it seemed that he was fortunate enough to have a form with only slight alterations.

Did that mean he was a hanyou? It would appear that his second half was... but could it just be a mutation? She took in another pulse of his aura, her breath catching in her throat. He wasn't just half youkai, his other half was _human_.

He smirked again, cocking his head upwards a bit, misinterpreting her surprised stare. "Did you think you could get out alive? That we would all just bow to your whim and allow you to slip from our grasp when the destruction of the rebellion is so close?" Kagome's fists clenched. "Sorry to disappoint you."

"You…" she sneered, her previous air of curiousity dropping in an instant to be replaced with a boiling anger. "Don't assume that these restraints will keep be at bay for long. When I escape, I'll take no hesitation in _killing_ you!"

He seemed to take her threat lightly. "You have quite a foul mouth for royalty," he said, his eyebrow cocking.

She forced a phony smile. "I could say the same to you, general."

"Do not put me on the same level of a human, miko."

She narrowed her eyes at him, leveling his smirk with a cold glare. "I can't wait to wipe that smile off your face," she hissed, her hands clenching and unclenching at her sides, a faint glow lingering at her fingertips.

He merely chuckled as he turned to leave. "You'll be begging for mercy at my feet within the next week, _miko filth_," he said, his mocking formailty returned.

"Don't be so sure, _hanyou,_" she spat in response.

She could see him bristle, a small frown tilting against the smirk upon her lips. "I'll be using any means to get what I want from you, you bitch," he said, his voice almost a growl, "And when it's all over, we'll either keep you for ransom or kill you." He took a step towards the cell door, his shadow creeping upon her and darkening his features as a newly kindled hatred smoldered in his eyes. "It would be _much_ easier for me... if you were _dead_."

She felt a bile rise in her throat at his threat, but hid it well. Kagome snorted irritably and pulled against the shackles so she was as close to him as possible, pushing up her chest in defiance and narrowing her eyes. "Hah. You'll never get the chance to," she mimicked with a mocking tease, "because I'm not telling you anything."

He was unflustered by her weak threat, snorting roughly in her face as if to prove his immunity. She turned her face away in disgust as his warm breath curled over her nose like long, gnarled tendrils of acid contempt, his eyes glaring into her turned cheek, merely inches away. "Your threat is nothing," his spat, spearing her repulsed expression with disdain. "I can see the fear in your eyes. Breaking your weak protests will be nothing as long as we hold your people at gun point."

Kagome felt herself take a sharp intake of breath; her pride and egotistic notions deflated instantly as her weaker, concerned emotions for the safety of her people overtook her. Her eyes snapped back to his, immediately hating them. "You wouldn't…" she whispered.

He pulled his face back, uncomfotable and unappreciative of her suffocatingly repulsive proximity. "Before you die, miko, I will come to see you." Kagome's lips thinned as she held back a sneer. "Perhaps then you will speak." He turned to leave, but paused, turning to glace over his shoulder with a small smirk, as if revisited by some fair humor of sorts. "Just know this," he said coldly, "that no matter how hard you fight, you will die. But, if you surrender, you may live to see the fall of your petty rebellion." He smiled coldly, turning to leave Kagome and the dungeon to herself as he spoke over his shoulder, "Think about it, _princess_."

The main door slammed against the rust of its frame with a splitting screech and loud bang, resonding painfully against the stone walls and scraping against the inside of her ears. The echo faded along with her strength, her knees buckling as she slipped once more to the cold, rugged surface of her cell floor, feeling a reflective, cold feeling wash over her. The cold, indifference of impending solitude.

It seemed like she would have a nice, long time to formulate an escape plan.

* * *

That woman...

His eyebrows drew low over his eyes, and he stalked awkwardly down the hallway. What was it about her that set him so much on edge? Was it just his youkai blood reacting violently against her miko powers? Was it old feelings that were beginning to resurface upon seeing that face? Was it fear? Guilt?

He felt a growl roll up his chest. Fuck.

He shook his head with a snarl, as if to banish the annoying questions that plagued his mind with an irritating persistancy. He hated seeing her. Everytime he laid eyes on her face, all he was rewarded with was an assault of unwanted memories best left buried.

Was this some kind of punishment? Something sent to curse his existence with pity...? Or guilt...? Regret, even?

She may not have even known when she awoke, but she had been unconscious for almost a week, frozen in time and in reality. He knew this because her wounds had not healed at all during the time she lay in that dungeon until recently, just about this morning when she had began to peel back through the layers of unconsciousness and her body began to take away the black of her bruises and crust over her blood. It was probably a good thing for her that she had healed over her free-flowing wounds before she slipped into that almost death-like state on the ship ride back. Or was it?

As if to distract his thoughts, he found himself standing before a tall, familiar, metal door. He stood before it, waiting patiently for it to slide open before stalking through it to meet with a smaller, private corridor. It, unlike the dungeons from which he had just come, branched to a strong contrast of traditional japanese flooring and surroundings. Rather than the rough, uneven stone floor and walls, it was lined with a soft, thatched tatami mat that stretched the length of the hall. The corridor, however, much like the dungeon, was dimly lit, and in the air hung a heavy, staunch smell that was almost suffocating in its weight.

Perhaps the cause of that was the suffocating jyaki that clung the to air.

He snorted, as if to push the stangnant stench from his nose, making his way down the hall in long, brusque strides. He could feel the overhanging presence of youkai, swarming above and below him, sensing their presence through the walls and behind dark doors lining the corridor. He was used to it by now. Just as he was used to this long, long walk. A walk that he was not looking forward to.

But no matter how briskly he walked, nor how distracting the foul smell of the surrounding air, or how annoying the heavy presence of youki around him, he couldn't seem to shake her face from his mind.

What was this? Some kind of bad karma? His lips curled into a sneer. What a coincidence it was that she happened to be a miko.

A fucking miko.

And to think that they would be the spitting image of each other? Perhaps that would explain his immeadiate resentment towards her. It would solve so many problems if he would just be allowed to _kill_ her. There would be one less miko lining the defenses of Dimentoria and one less miko plaguing his mind.

But, he supposed with an inward groan, it wasn't that simple.

Without this woman's information, they would be unable to find Dimentoria. It didn't matter how long they searched for it. But, with her here, they would be unable to keep up their barrier around the city, and their defenses would be much weaker without her annoying "foresight". So, in fact, her capture was nothing but an advantage for him, and certainly the worst that could have happened for the resistance. Unfortunately, he was unable to see past his own, more personal problems.

And this woman was certainly a personal problem.

Yet, for some odd reason, despite his enourous resentment and hatred towards this... this _bitch_... he still found himself wandering back towards the dungeons, standing before her cell and staring helplessly at her unconscious form with a strangled curiousity. Her resemblence, her haunting features, framed by the hair wrapping around her neck and splaying haphazardly around her as she lay upon the cold, stone floor, absurdly facinated him.

Why was she here? _Now?_ What was her purpose? Was he so tied to Kikyou's destiny... that their fates were so closely twisted around each other that she would haunt him even after her death? His lips drew back into a sneer.

He had finally reached the end of the seemingly endless hallway, finding himself before a large, black shouji. He released a slow, calmed breath, and flattened a palm against it, sliding the door open and pasuing before the entrance.

"Ah... Inuyasha... I have been waiting for you."

His eyes narrowed, but he did not respond, simply taking a step into the room and sliding the door shut behind him with a careful slam. Inuyasha paused, folding his arms into the folds of his haori and turning to the source of the voice, his eyes falling to rest upon a huddled, shadowed figure in the corner. It would have been impossible to see his form in the suffocating black surrounding the room, if not for the soft, unnatural glow eminating from a small, open window in that corner, casting strange shadows upon the various objects in the room. "Yes," he said, "What do you want?"

A dark, omnious tint surrounded the man's form, and he did not move in the slightest as Inuyasha spoke, merely continuing to gaze out of the barred window with an impassive expression in his darkened eyes. "What is the news of the city?" he asked, his voice deep and slick.

Inuyasha's nose twitched. "Nothing was found," he responded, masking his tone with a rough, awkward response. Why hadn't he requested this information days ago when they had returned?

"I see," he replied. He still did not move, watching out of the window distractedly, the pale, red glow of the outside casting eerie shadows upon his features. "Anything else? Anything... that I should be aware of?" He turned ever so slightly, his head tilting in Inuyasha's direction just enough so that he could focus his dark, crimson eyes upon him with a chilling scrutiny.

Inuyasha did not reply at first, his thoughts immediately redirecting to the motionless body, lying quietly before his eyes. He was quiet, his brows furrowed as he debated with himself. "No," he said, finally, his tone rough. "Nothing else."

The eyes did not move from him, merely staring at him, penetrating through him for any sign of deciet. Inuyasha held himself firm, his eyes not moving from the direct contact and gripping his arms underneath his sleeves. A small smirk stretched across the man's features, and he turned his head to him completely. "Is that so...?"

Inuyasha returned the smirk with a sneer. "I hope you aren't lying to me..." he said slowly. Threateningly. "Are you, Inuyasha?"

A sudden movement behind his shadow caught his eye, and his breath caught in his throat. What the...?

A young girl emerged from the dark of the corner, stepping forward into the solemn, red glow from the window. Her eyes were black, wide, and souless, framed by short, white hair and pale skin. Her small hands were wrapped around a large, circular mirror, and she held it to her white, kimono-clad chest. Inuyasha felt his chest clench as he bit back his surprise. Where the hell had she come from? And why didn't he sense her!

"Kanna..." The man regarded her smoothly, not turning to awknowledge her, his eyes never leaving Inuyasha's. He noted that his smirk didn't seem to fade, either. "What are you hiding from me?" he asked, though it didn't seem to be a question. "You wouldn't want me to become angry, now, would you?"

Inuyasha's eyes narrowed, but he said nothing.

His hand reached over to the young, pale child, brushing his fingers upon the surface of the mirror. Ripples undulated from his fingertips, and the mirror's image began to transform, becoming darker. Inuyasha felt his nails bite into the flesh of his arm as his clenched his fingers. Before him appeared a familiar form, its focus upon a bowed head, soft black tresses shadowing the features of a pale, weak woman, hanging solemnly from her chains.

"Who could this be...?" he asked, watching Inuyasha's expression with a strange intensity. "Could it be... a miko, perhaps?"

Inuyasha's eyes shot from the mirror to his, amber locking with red as he held his breath, eyes well schooled.

"You weren't going to keep this from me, were you, Inuyasha?"

He bit his lip, feeling his fang bite uncomfortably into his lip as he held back his response. He wouldn't allow him the satisfaction of giving him the answer he wanted.

The man's eyes narrowed, but rather than in anger or irritation, in a twisted humor of odd sorts. "Of course, I'm a forgiving man," he said, his voice colored with a well supressed mockery. "So I will allow you from any punishment, as I had known without your informing."

He stood, motioning off-handedly at Kanna, who bowed, swiping her hand across the mirror and diminishing the image, slowly slipping back into the shade behind him. "This is what I will do, Inuyasha, and you are fortunate that I am so generous to you." Inuyasha's lips twitched. "You will bring her to me when she re-awakes, and she will be under my supervision."

A growl rose in his throat, and his hands slid from his sleeves to fist at his sides. "She is _my_ prisoner. You told me that any human I capture would be under _my_ inquiry, and _I_ would itterogate them, Naraku."

The man, Naraku, smiled. "Of course. You will be free to interrogate her at your own will. But she will stay with me." Inuyasha could feel his fists shaking in rage. Naraku raised an eyebrow, watching his seething form with a twisted pleasantry. "I would watch yourself, Inuyasha. If it weren't for my generousity, you would not be here to shake your fists at me."

He bit back his snarl, swallowing and unclenching his fists with great reluctance.

"I will not allow such a precious prisoner as this woman to be abandoned by your careless watching. You will bring her to me in two days time." Inuyasha opened his mouth to argue, but he was effeftively silenced. "You may leave, now, Inuyasha."

He bowed his head curtly, baring his fangs beneath a swallowed growl, before turning on his heel and heading towards the door.

"Kagura..." Naraku said, turning his eyes to the side. "Come here."

The thick, straining air uplifted, a strong wind swirling through the room, lifting the darkened, coiled lengths of the man's hair lightly from his shoulders. Inuyasha paused before the door as the gust of wind sharply slid it open to reveal a figure in the dark hallway. "You rang?" came a feminine voice from the shadows. His hair lightly settled upon his shoulders as he focused upon a woman's figure, who had casually walked through the open shouji at the end of the room, brushing by Inuyasha without a second glance to stand before Naraku. She tapped a fan to her darkened lips, a small smile upon their crimson hue.

"Kagura..." he repeated, smirking as he watching Inuyasha's shoulder's tense. "I need you to run an errand for me."

She raised an eyebrow, her lips parting as she shifted her weight, cocking a hip to one side. "Oh...? And what would that be?"

Inuyasha took one last glance over his shoulder to send a glare at Kagura's turned head before continuing out the door, slamming it incremoniously upon his exit. He paused, however, his ears perked as he listened through the thin wall for Naraku's order.

"I need you to deliver a message..."

He lingered for a moment, listening quietly. Wait... why did he care what the fuck Naraku was plotting, anyway? He snorted, turning his head sharply from the doorway and stalking off down the hallway. Hmph. If he was going to have to give up his prisoner to Naraku in three days, then he wasn't going to waste them.

It was time to find out a little bit more about this Kikyou impersonation.

* * *

That's it for now. I know its a bit short, but you can't win 'em all. At least you can expect a long chapter next time, ne? See you soon!

Chapter Four: Escape


	4. Escape

Hello again—and yes, the chapter is late. Very. sigh But you all know me, next week means next month. I really don't TRY to have everything come out years later, I just never get around to posting updates!

Anyway, here is the chapter. This is where everything starts to get confusing and exciting at the same time! And no, this chapter IS going to move outside the dungeon... since I hate stories where the characters seem to be sitting in the same room for five chapters. Here you go; enjoy!

_Forbidden to Love_

_Chapter Four: Escape_

_By: Kaji-chan_

A shiver ran through her, and she bit her lip, her eyes fluttering open. Everything seemed detached and foggy, her eyes swirling against the darkness of her cell. Her warm breath curled visably around her lips, blue and unmoving. She moved a hand from underneath her cheek and pressed her palm against the cell floor. The uneven stone was so... cold.

Perhaps it was the chill that woke her. But even so, she felt too detached and drugged to be awake. Was she really awake, or still dreaming?

She shifted, her back brushing the icy stone and sending another shiver up her body. Maybe if she used a bit of her energy to warm herself? Her eyes focused loosely on the crystalization of her breath in the cold. Even if she was storing her energy, couldn't she use a little of it?

Her eyes dilated as she drew her focus in, pulling a little energy outwards. She instantly felt a light heat blanket her, melting away the frost that seemed to be collecting around her. She let her eyes slide closed, her fingers curling into her chest as she pulled into herself.

A sudden heat pulsed beneath her hands, and her eyes opened in confusion. She glanced down, a gasp pausing on her lips and shock overtaking her facial features as she found her body glowing a light purple hue. The heat suddenly became divergent, pulsing painfully from her center, and she found her gasp choked.

Her hands wrapped around her torso as if to prevent it from it's un-natural throbbing, fear shining in her eyes, covered by a dull hint of red. "Wh-what!" she cried, an almost painful drumming sensation animating from within her. "Ite…!"

Her eyes widened as she heard a distant, male voice flutter through the darkness.

"_**I see you…"**_

Her body began to convulse, and she swallowed the scream forcing through her throat, her lips open but emitting no sound. The light purple hue suddenly burst into a cluster of hot, scorching violet flames, engulfing her body as she screamed silently in pain. She felt as if she was being torn from the inside out.

"_**Miko…"**_

Her eyes began to dilate, their misty, blue-grey orbs suddenly beginning to waver, the blue fading completely from her eyes, leaving behind only the silent trace of remniscent grey. Her cry ripped past her lips, another painful pulsing spreading through her body, a sharp tingle traveling through her core, dilating in her eyes. She felt her muscles begin to ache and burn, as if they were changing shape. Twin slices of pain lanced across her cheeks, and her hands shot up to cover them, lightly scraping her face.

She hissed in pain, pulling her hands away to find a light coat of blood at what she had though to be her fingertips. Instead, she found her breath choking in the back her throat as she gazed down at the lengthened and sharpened tips of her nails.

"_**Kuro miko…"**_

"I-IYA!" she screamed at the bodiless voice, shaking her head and tucking into herself, her hands clasped firmly over her ears to shut out the voice. She felt another lance of pain cleave through her forehead and let loose a small cry of pain. Her eyes began to glow, almost like they were burning with her body, their color wavering once more as her vision blurred into a darker, more dangerous tone. Her lips fell open in a gasped part, her eyes bleeding to a dark, shimmering red...

-----

Kagome's eyes opened slowly, the dream slowly fading in her mind as the room swirled around her in a dull haze, attempting to focus on the stone wall before her. She blinked the sleep from her eyes, rolling onto her back with a grimace. What had she dreamt about again? She paused, lingering on it, realizing that she had already forgotten it. Was it about death? She felt like crap, so... maybe it was?

Unfortunately, it only further depressed her on her current situation. If she could have chosen any way to die, the last she would have selected among the long list of demise would have been what she was experiencing at that given moment.

It had been at least a two weeks since her capture. It had also been at least a week since she had eaten anything. She could feel the weight of her malnutrition pulling her down, slowly. Day by day, her powers grew weaker, as did her strength. She was draining so much of her powers just to sustain her life force, let alone her hunger, that she was seriously considering faking dead so that they'd drag her out and throw her in the ocean, in which case she would make a daring escape and swim for two days straight until she reached home again. But that was far too cliche for her taste, and rarely worked...

Of course, she was also the most valuable of the prisoners, and they would never do something as stupid as throw her in the ocean. She was now to a point where moving cost her so much energy that it wasn't even worth the effort to roll over in her sleep. Her energy was too valuable to waste on her comfort.

With the draining of her powers through starving herself, and the lack of energy to sustain consciousness, her healing process had slowed so drastically that it seemed she would age faster than the restoration of normal skin color where her bruises were concerned. It seemed to take up all of her reserves just to keep her eyes open for the entirety of the day, let alone anything else.

It wasn't the fact that she was unable to stand... or that she was unable to stay awake... or that she was unable to heal her wounds at a faster rate than they were currently. No... She was waiting. She was conserving her energy, only allowing herself enough each day to sustain her life. She knew that when she gave the impression that she appeared the weakest, that he would come and pay her another visit.

She knew that if she wasted her energy on healing that she would never have enough energy for her escape, for she was certain that it would not be as simple as running out the front door. There would definately be a battle involved.

She had been working on slowly pulling at the chains, stretching out the links as far as they would go on her right arm. This way, she could hide the extra reach until he was in range for her to grab him. If she was lucky, a swift, quick tug might even break her chain.

And when he did, she wouldn't have to worry about sleeping on the cold, stone floor that she had been occupying for the past weeks any longer. As soon as he stepped through the cell door... all she would have to do is withdraw enough of her reserves to reach forward, grab his leg or arm, and pump as much purification into him as possible.

With him dead, not only would she be eliminating a military figure, but also granting her freedom. She could sense the auras of the guards and soldiers stations around the area. They would be easy fodder to the miko princess as soon as she absorbed the remains of the dead general's spiritual energy.

Kagome closed her eyes, feeling her muscles relax as she continued to build up and store her powers within her. It wouldn't be long now. He was bound to appear eventually... she was here to provide a link for them to the lost city, so her explicit information was critical to their military intellegence.

Lying there for those days had allowed her to indulge within her current situation... to fill out every blank which had been clouding her mind's eye for the past weeks of battle against the youkai. It was obvious that they were searching for the remaining fortress of the enemy... but it had been uncertain whether they truely knew its location and were just waiting for the right moment or whether they were still chasing their tails.

It seemed to be the latter.

Any idiot would be able to see that they hadn't decided to dub her a "prisoner of war" because she was a sole threat militarily, nor because they wanted some petty object like ransom money. No... they were still completely clueless to the location of Dimentoria, hence their desperation to attain any information on it's position possible.

And she knew... he had _told_ her... that when she was about to die, he would come. She knew that if she could fake her condition, or make it appear that it was worsening, the sooner he would come. It had been at least a week since he had last seen him, and a week since she'd had any food or water. Each day she grew weaker, but each day passing drew her closer to the day he would come and she would exact her revenge.

Hopefully, Kouga and Sango were able to relay information back to her mother... The city needed to be prepared never-the-less, and on alert for youkai search parties. Kagome was not just vital to the city for military purposes, but also because of her ability to see "into the future", so to speak. Occasionally, she would be visited by a foreseeing dream or vision which highlighted a forboding future event. With this power, she had prevented the discovery of the city of multiple occasions, but without her there...

Kagome bit her lip. There was nothing she could do at the moment... but as soon as she was free, then she could--

"Still alive, are you?"

Her jaw clenched at his voice, supressing the startled reaction his sudden appearance had caused. Was she that relaxed that she didn't even feel his presence as he entered the room? Kagome's eyes narrowed upon him. "Alive enough to spit on you," she hissed, her voice cracked and throat raw. She slowly turned her head, feeling a shiver run down her spine as her cheek grazed the cold surface of the dungeon floor to watch his smug grin fall from his features.

He glared at her, his lips curling over his fangs in a sneer, but still retaining a bit of humor in his eyes. "You're a fucking idiot. You're wasting your life resisting."

"Better wasted in resitance than submission." she replied, moving her arm slowly, grimacing for effect. She could feel his eyes on her, feel his skeptical glance--it was working. He was letting his guard down... if she kept up this charade, he might let his guard down long enough for her to get close to him. Her weak frown beckoned him forward in challenge. "I still have enough life left in me to kill the likes of you, cowering behind the safety of bars. Your only strength is in the weakness of others. One day you will find it reversed, and the strong will be crushing you for your overconfidence and ignorance."

He took the bait, stepping forward with a snarl. "You are not in the position to be making threats, woman," he said, his hand resting on the tattered hilt of his stationary sword. She had yet to see him draw it as of yet. "And your fucking proverbs are worthless to my knowledge, so spare your breath."

She watched him carfully, judging his reflexes and the distance of which she could reach, deciding she would need him to be just a bit closer than he was. "I wouldn't mock me." She watched him raise his eyebrows and gave him a weak glare. "You were lucky in our battle."

"Luck, was it?" he replied, his tone edged as she continued to bait him. Inuyasha stepped closer to the cell, his arms folded across his chest as he frowned darkly down upon her curled, pitiful form. "You were the one who--what the!"

She didn't allow him to finish his sentance. With one swift jerk, the chains snapped, allowing her to stretch one hand forward through the bars, grasping tightly onto his leg before he could leap away. Not that he would have; he seemed far too surprised to even think of pulling away, though he was probably more than capable of it. Concentrating all of her conserved energy, purification energy hummed up and down the length of her arm as she blasted his soul with all of the power within her.

A flaming purple pulsed upon him, wrapping around his form and crackling with a deadly energy as it reacted violently with his demonic spirit. His legs buckled as he was struck rigid with her power, feeling as if electricity was flowing through his veins, followed by a stark shock of pain piercing every end of his body. The hanyou contracted, groaning, and collapsed on the ground, breathing heavily but seemingly unconscious.

Kagome panted, her chest heaving in effort as she, too, collapsed, slumping against the bars and straining for breath. Never had an energy drain taken so much out of her. She reached a shaky hand forward, her fingers grasping a slender ring from inside his pocket, slipping it out and sighing in relief as she gazed at the key dangling from it. With a trembling hand and much difficulty, she was able to slip the key into the lock, twisting it and smiling as the lock snapped open. She pushed it open, ignoring its groan as the door strained against the rusted hinges, crawling weakly towards the still form of the fallen half-demon.

She knelt before him, leaning forward onto her hands as she studied him. It seemed as though he was still alive... how had he managed to survive her attack? Even at the state she was in, her purification was strong enough to kill ten lesser demons without breaking a sweat. Her head tilted to the side—well, he wasn't exactly a lesser demon, now, was he?

But his survival wasn't any of her concern now. But the time he came to, she would be long gone anyway. She didn't have the energy to finish off the job, and needed to hurry out of the dungeon before the idiots guarding it realized that she had knocked out their head in command.

She slanted him a half-hearted smile, her eyebrows drawn together as her hands shook from exhaustion. "It seems..." she took a strangled breath, "that you will... be allowed to live... a bit longer, hanyou." Kagome tilted her head slightly to the side, studying him with a cautious eye. Now that she got a good look at him up close, he had a fairly young looking face; but it was difficult to tell with youkai, as they were, in a certain sense, immortal.

She closed her eyes, lifting a shaking hand towards him. He was her enemy.

Biting her lip, she rested her palm on his back, taking a deep, shuddering breath as she re-centered her distraught focus upon the energy before her. Spayling her fingers across his back, she pressed her palm to him, reaching into his soul with her own and grasping firmly upon his spirit energy. "Please excuse me," she apologized underneath her breath, "but I must borrow some of you to make my escape. I thank you in advance." Closing her eyes, she concentrated her small amout of energy through her palm, drawing forth bits of his power into herself, feeling a pulsing warmth spread through her body with every refreshing wave of refound strength.

Her body slowly began to relax, the cold whisps of death slowly fading with each renewal of life from his unconscious being. She felt a sigh of relief escape her lips, and she released his soul, drawing away from him in a small sense of satisfaction. She rolled to her feet, standing in an oddly fluid motion. "Interesting..." she whispered.

Kagome smiled despite herself. She had never borrowed power from a hanyou before--an inu hanyou in particular--and its side effects were quite voluptuous, her agility and muscle enhancement in particular. The effects, however, were merely temporary—her powers would surely purify them within the hour. At best, she had thirty minutes before she exhausted herself, so as long as she could get out of the castle and to some form of refuge, she could replenish her energy and progress from there.

Not wasting another moment, she walked briskly to the weapon rack in the corner, brandished with generic weapons for the cell guards, left untended and at her coincidental disposal. Her gaze shifted over the array of guns, turning her nose up in disgust. Shooting someone seemed far too easy of a death for a foe, and made her feel shallow in doing so.

Attempting to not be particular, however, she unshealthed a nice, light, slender sword, appearing almost unused. It wasn't hard to believe that the sword was probably never used, considering that the olden weapons were far below in terms of favoritism compared to guns and the like. It's feminine appearence had probably kept its good condition from the barating of its male owners as well. She hadn't used a sword in quite a while, but since she did not see any bows (her usual preference), it would have to do for now. Besides, it didn't matter much the medium as long as she could pump purification through it.

Grasping it tightly, she shed one final glance at the hanyou's fallen body. She couldn't help but hold a certain respect for him; after all, he was only a half demon among the hoards of full-youkai he commandded. She smiled, mockingly blowing him a farewell kiss before fleeing through the open prison door.

She paused by the wall, tightly gripping her sword as she peered slowly around the corner. Her eyes fell upon the youkai along the walls; it seemed the were some sort of guards, though few of them were in a human form. They seemed easy enough...

She had not taken three steps around the corner before she was noticed by a few of the gate guards as an escaped prisoner. At least it hadn't particuarly hindered her plans; she hadn't exactly been aiming for a stealthy escape. Too bad... for them, anyway.

They rushed at her, one of them a humanoid shape, and the other two more of a dragon-esque appearance. She calculated the first attack and planned the counter in a matter of a seconds, sizing up her enemy and planning her defense. The first to attack was the flying ryuyoukai, who simply barreled forward, fangs bared.

In the back of her mind, a gripping fear clenched her thoughts. Battle. Her heart fluttered at the thought. Immediately she squelched the expression, closing her mind off to it and allowing adrenaline to overcome it. A slow, consuming red began to seep into her from the back of her mind, absorbing into her movements—long ago she may have been an excellent fighter... she may have forgotten her past, but her muscle memory was impeccable. She slid easily into past remembrance, allowing her fear to sink beyond her impulse.

Kagome drove her left heel into the ground, catching a grove in the uneven stone and forcing a change in direction as she pivoted, making a graceful arc with the rapier and slashing the open jaw in two, twisting away from the gush of blood and taking a quick jump into the air over the falling enemy. On cue, the second youkai approached from behind the first, raising a heavy arm to crush her. She could already feel her mind dying into a haze as a strange instinct overtook her, her body already knowing its course as she dodged the hefty swipe and jabbed forward through the neck of the second.

She landed deftly, jerking her sword out of the collapsing demon and pushing off to the side as it fell heavily upon the stone inches from her feet. Kagome's eyes had not yet turned to fully expose the next oponent for her vision before she swung back with the sword, powerfully slicing him diagonally from his shoulder to the waist. Her head remained turned away, ignoring the squelching sound as it slid into two and made a sickening plop against the bloodslick floor.

She couldn't wait, couldn't allow herself to give it attention. The moment she allowed herself to come to terms with the reality—the feeling in her fingers as her grip tightened over the sword's hilt, the clench of her stomach as the feel of metal through flesh slipped down the length of the sword to her palm and up her arm—the second she allowed herself to dwell upon it, the haze she had shrouded her mind in would disappear... and she would die.

Kagome shook the thick, black demon blood from her sword with a smooth flick of the wrist, ignoring its splatter as it stained the wall. She bit her lip, further supressing the tears that wanted to surface, falling deeper into silence and shooting off again down the hall. It was as if she was on automatic propulsion; as if her body was moving forward and her thoughts were too slow to keep up with it. Her feet pounded upon the ground as she quickened her pace, sensing and hearing the approach of more enemies, gripping her hilt with white knuckles.

The hoard of youkai heading for her was led by a group of human looking demons, who were the first to approach her, leaving the easier opponents behind them. She drew one arm back as she prepared to swing herself around her left shoulder. One more step...

She threw her weight back, whipping around herself and throwing out a long, horizontal slash at the first contender, beheading him gracefully. She closed her eyes for a moment and swallowed, moving on. The second guard fell to a similar fate, as did the next as Kagome swiftly redirected her momentum and swiped at their exposed fronts easily. Her sword's oddly lengthed blade offered a complimentary advantage against the common, stumbling infantry with their large, swords. She could kill three in one swing in the time it took one to draw out his club and pull back to bash at her.

The next wave of soldiers fell to a graceful skimmering of their thinned armor, as did the next, befallen by the glowing, purification blade, moving swiftly to the large group of low level youaki. She skillfully slashed through the small clusters of underlings, lightly dancing around their awkward swings and blundering grabs with her saber, utilizing well her borrowed agility from the hanyou.

Somewhere in the back of her mind, she wondered how this was all possible. How did she know how to move, which way to shift, how to grip a sword she had never seen before in her life? In many ways it scared her—to the point which she wanted to know nothing of the horrors in her past. Perhaps it was too gruesome for her to remember. Too shameful to recall.

Even so, she was getting through the defenses without hardly any difficulty; it puzzled her to think of such, especially as only one assaulting their small army of guards. This was far easier than she had originally thought. Surely these demons would have thought to guard her entrapment with far better defenses... than...

There it was! She could see the door before her, the looming double doors to freedom! Her blood pumped wildly in her veins, and her pace quickened with anticipation. For weeks she had bid her time in the cold, stuffy dungeon cell, and now, finally, she would be making her way back to—

Kagome's thoughts slowly trailed away as her running slowed, coming to a stiffly awkward halt as her eyes trailed up and down the front of her new, rather fierce looking enemy. Her adrenaline rush began to fade as her sword lowered, the haze retracting from her eyes as there were no more enemies. None but one. "Ah..."

He would have appeared to be another ordinary guard, if it weren't for his difference in dress and the strong chill running up her spine which told her otherwise. She was a bit surprised to find that he was clothed in traditional attire; he wore a fairly fancy white kimono, a yellow obi secured tightly around his waist in an elaborate design. He was adorned with a light weight, black armor, and a spiked twist of metal snaked elegantly over his shoulder. He wore a cold expression upon his dark features, one that glinted wildly in the seemingly calm amber of his narrowed eyes; adorned his cheeks and long, silver hair fell over his eyes and drifting upon his back.

Who was this man?

His hand flowed from his side to brush against the hilt of his sword, resting against his hip. He just stood there, tall, obstinate, and deftly calm. His eyes flicked over her form, studying her with a slowly instigating frown.

It seemed, without him glancing away from her, that he decided against attacking her, for his hand floated, once again, back to his side. "Who are you?" he asked after a long moment of tense silence, though his question appeared to be more of a demand than a request for answering. His words were as smooth and fluid as his movements, and his tone as devoid of emotion as his cold, amber eyes. She suddenly realized his striking resemblance to that hanyou.

Her fingers curled hesitantly against the hilt of her sword, a soft, purple glow beginning to envelop the length of the blade once more as she suspected an attack from the demon before her. Kagome bit her lip, waiting expectantly for the hum of adrenaline and shade over her eyes as her body overtook her, but was surprised to find it absent. Was this man not a threat? Her grip loosened.

"Who are you?"

His tone was bitingly insistent, as if incredibly annoyed by her unwillingness to answer. The sharp edge in his tone made the hair on the back of her neck stand on end, and her grip immediately tightened once more upon the blade.

Kagome blinked, confused by his question. It should have been obvious to him that she was a miko. She was, however, unable to discern the meaning of his question by his monotone, though harsh in his apparent impressions. "Wha-what?" she stuttered, her expression a bit perplexed, if not confused.

She was too shocked and distracted by her thoughts to move as he took a quick, fluid leap forward, drawing back a glowing clawed hand. She was unprepared, and her muscles didn't react quick enough to escape him as his arm arched towards her in a deadly arc. In that frozen moment, the haze of her adrenaline completely receded, she felt such an overwhelming sensation of fear overtake her that she dropped the sword, the loud crash as it clattered to the floor completely dull to her ears beneath the roaring of blood pumping furiously in her temple.

The green claws raked her across her front before she could even twitch in response, the overwhelming force of the swipe slamming her body into the wall behind her with a sickening crack.

Kagome slid down the stone barrier slowly and painfully, feeling a small trickle of blood down the bridge of her nose from where it blossumed at the top of her bowed head. She lifted her head, watching the creature's approach through blood tinted eyes, wide in fear, her hand reaching over to tightly clench the slashes across the length of her stomach.

He watched her, impassively, and took slow, even steps towards her. She could feel the smooth, sickly texture of blood as it pushed up through her fingers and slowly began to dribble down her front. Her eyes lowered to her wound, trembling as she saw it pulse with a sickening green color. Kagome's gaze raised to him, as he was now standing above her with an almost tired expression of uncaring, her lips stumbling over a terrified whisper. "P-poison?"

He did not reply, merely glaring at her as if she was an annoyingly boring object in the way of his daily routines. She reached behind her with her spare hand, pulling herself away from him as her feet struggled against the small, slick puddle of her enemies' blood.

The man observed her with an unreadable expression, and she felt a strong sense of fear constrict her chest as her powers were rapidly draining in battle against the poison spreading through her body. "St-stay... _away _from me..." she hissed, her words fumbling upon her trembling lips. How had his poison affected her that quickly!

He paused, raising an eyebrow at her as a soft, purple glow began to envelop her form. "Who are you?" he spoke again, demanding a satisfactory answer with a cold glare.

"I am K-Kagome," she replied, her breathing becoming heavy as she fought the drain. "I am the princess... of..."

"Who are you?" he repeated. He seemed to be getting annoyed by her inablity to answer his question.

"I-I..." She continued to back away from him, crawling upon her back as she struggled for words. "I don't know what you're talking about!" she cried, her hand grappling against the ground with dirtied fingers.

"Don't touch her. She's mine, Sesshoumaru."

The man addressed as Sesshoumaru looked away from her to focus on the voice behind her. Kagome felt her chest clench as she recognized the voice. She turned her eyes to follow his gaze, resting them upon a familiar figure, leaning haphazardly against the support of an old katana. "B-but—I thought I..." she whispered, a gasp hitching in her throat.

A small, fangless grin curled upon his lips.

"It seems that you did a bad job, then, doesn't it, bitch?"

Okay! End chapter! Sorry about the shortness. So, I got some Sesshoumaru action going on... what do you think? I'm excited to write the next chapter... aren't you excited to read it?

Chapter Five: Demon Blood


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